1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and unique business form which includes a mailing envelope, a customer statement and return envelope. Business forms of this type are generally used for business correspondence where a return mailing, such as payment, is anticipated. Frequently, where high volume mailings are required, such business forms are manufactured in a continuous series for statement preparation on data processing equipment.
2. Brief description of the Prior Art
Conventional business forms generally included a separate mailing envelope, separate insert material, separate customer statement, and when required, a separate return envelope. Frequently, such materials are individually prepared, with possibly the customer statement being prepared on data processing equipment, and usually individually inserted into the mailing envelope for distribution to the customer. Recently, with the advent of data processing equipment, forms have been developed which are adapted for automatic preparation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,827 disclosed a business form which includes a pre-sealed mailing envelope and enclosed business records. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,816 disclosed a series of detachable envelopes, suitable for data processing equipment, each of which include an envelope and insert material. While both of these patents disclose fabricated business forms which are suitable for preparation on data processing equipment, they require multiple layers of pre-printed sheets to form mailing envelopes and customer statements. Further, because the mailing envelopes are pre-sealed, the only method by which the customer statement information can be imparted to the customer statement is through some form of impact printing technique, such as carbon backing on the under side of an interior sheet which transmits the customer information to the customer statement sheet when run through conventional printers. Additionally, neither of these patents disclose a device which provides an integral return envelope.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,519 discloses a business form which includes a mailing envelope, a return envelope and a customer statement which has a customer stub and return stub. This form consists of two sheets, in full registry, which are secured along the outer edges of the mating surfaces of their opposing sides. An array of gluing lines and tear perforations provide the customer statement and return envelope. Customer statement information is imparted to the statement through impact printing such as a transfer carbon on an interior sheet.
The form disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,519 requires the top and bottom sheets to be secured (glued) along their side edges then transversely folded along a center tear perforation line to form the mailing envelope. Inherent to this form is a problem commonly referred to as tenting. Tenting occurs where a fold is applied along a line which separates securing means (such as gluing) on either side of the fold line. The tenting problem, a bulge in bottom sheet, results from the different length taken by the top and bottom sheets during the fold operation and the inability of the two sheets to adjust to this difference in length.
Further, there is no provision for direct printing of the statement information, which frequently results in illegible or obscure statement information. A further disadvantage of the aforesaid form is that the transversely oriented cross tear perforation line on which the form is transversely folded to form the mailing envelope is susceptible to separation during the bursting operation separating the individual forms.